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Rules of Membership - Amended 5-7-15

BLOUNT COUNTY FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION

RULES OF MEMBERSHIP

The below listed rules only apply to organized fire departments and rescue squads; in or servicing a portion of Blount County, which is in agreement with the objectives of the Blount County Fire & Emergency Medical Services Association to maintain membership in good standing.

1. A member Fire Department Chief shall be a minimum trained Alabama certified volunteer (160 hours) fire fighter or actively enrolled in said course within 24 months of obtaining office.

2. Be represented by the Chief, Assistant Chief or head of governing body at no less than eight meetings during the prior year of the Association. A department will be limited to only four written proxy meetings per calendar year.

3. Be compliant with all Fuelman® reporting as requested by the Blount County Commissioners Office for the fiscal year.

Fuelman® receipts are to be verified by the Chief of the Department / Captain of the Rescue Squad weekly and documentation submitted on Monday morning for the prior week to the Blount County EMA Office. If paperwork is not submitted by Wednesday; electronic mail will be sent to the Chief / Captain of the Department about the deficiency. If the deficiency is not corrected within two weeks, member departments will be invoiced for said fuel by the County Commission. If a member department has deficiencies exceeding two weeks, they will be considered non-complaint.

Fuelman® use will only be for official Fire Department / Rescue Squad business. Parades shall be considered official business. If a written complaint is filed with the Association or the County Commission about suspect use of fuel, the Chief / Captain has five business days to respond to the written complaint upon receipt. The response will be reviewed by the Association and voted upon at the next business meeting three weeks after the written complaint is received to the validity of the use of fuel. If the Association determines the fuel use to be invalid, the department will be invoiced for the actual fuel cost of a full tank of fuel for the vehicle at the time of the incident at the current fuel price for the day. Furthermore, Fuelman® privileges will be suspended until reinstated by the County Commission. Suspension of Fuelman® privileges automatically puts a department into “not in good standing” status.

Fuelman® shall only be used in approved vehicles by the Association and County Commission. Vehicles will be subject to inspection by the Association for mandatory minimum equipment necessary to meet the needs of the public on an annual basis.

i. Fire Apparatus shall carry minimum equipment set forth by the Association. This list will be based on the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) Grading Sheet. See attached equipment list.

ii. Advanced Life Support (ALS) Rescue Trucks permitted by the Alabama Department of Public Health Office of EMS and Trauma (ADPH OEMST) shall be exempt from further inspection.

iii. Basic Life Support (BLS) Rescue Trucks shall carry minimum equipment set forth by the Association. This list will be based on the ADPH OEMST Basic Equipment for an ALS truck. See attached equipment list.

v. Brush Fire Trucks shall carry an on-board water tank , must have “pump and roll” capabilities, and shall carry the minimum equipment set forth by the Association based on a list from the United States Forest Service. See attached equipment list.

vi. All vehicles shall have radio capability with the following channels:

1. Fire I Palisades

2. Fire II Palisades

3. Fire I Smoke Rise

4. Fire II Smoke Rise

5. Fire I Talk Around

6. Fire II Talk Around

7. HEAR 155.3400

8. Red Channel 154.2650

9. White Channel 154.2800

10. Blue Channel 154.2950

vii. New radios must have radio identifier compatible with the Blount County 911 Center. Reprogrammed radios must have radio identifier if supported.

4. Departments shall be municipal based or community based with IRS 501c3 non-profit status by January 1, 2015.

5. Municipal departments must have an annual fire department audit of financial records available at town / city hall available per State Law. For community based departments, financial records must be reviewed annually by a non-affiliated group or organization with the intent to validate expenditures or by three legal registered voting adults of the community. The three can not have check signing authority or executive office in the department or have blood / marriage relation to the prior mentioned. Proof of audit of financial records shall be turned in to the Association on an annual basis.

6. If a member department becomes “not in good standing” for two consecutive regular monthly scheduled meetings of the Association, they shall be served written notice by the Association. If the deficiencies are not corrected within thirty days or by the next regular scheduled meeting of the Association, whichever is later, the Mayor or Board Chair and County Commission will be notified by Registered US Mail. The Mayor or Board Chair will have 30 days or until the next regular scheduled meeting to correct the deficits. If not corrected within 30 days or by the next regular scheduled meeting, the department will become “not in good standing” with the Association for one calendar year. Said department will not be eligible for any County money, Fuelman®, or tire landfill distribution checks. Voting privileges will also be denied during this period. Departments will become eligible for general membership “in good standing” once all past deficiencies are corrected. A Mayor or Board Chair may provide written documentation after a department has been placed “not in good standing” at a regular monthly meeting of the Association to show substantial effort to correct past deficiencies. This will be reviewed and may be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors to reinstate “in good standing” status immediately after the vote.

5-7-15 Amendment for Radio Communication

Radio Training: Member departments shall participate in communication training as recommended by the Blount 911 director and agreed upon by the officers of the Association. Member departments will have a period of twelve (12) months to complete the initial training. Thereafter, refresher training should be completed at intervals no greater than twenty four (24) months for each department. Additionally, departments shall require new personnel to attend this training within their first twelve (12) months of service. Failure to meet these standards will place the department in a classification of &quot;Not in Good Standing&quot; with the Association, of which written notice will be served. This classification may be corrected with completion of the prescribed training within 30 days of the written notice served by the Association.